


Let Us Go Then, You and I

by betsib



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-21
Updated: 2014-04-21
Packaged: 2018-01-20 07:06:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1501262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betsib/pseuds/betsib
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason notices a strange boy in the library. College AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm uploading this in two parts so the people from Tumblr don't have to reread the first part if they don't want to.

Jason first noticed the kid in the library.

After spending so much time in there, reading or working on essays, Jason knew almost all of the regulars, and the kid was new. Most of the people spending time at this part of the library were studying literature of some kind, and you could see them there, with piles of theory books and a single work of fiction on their tables. Jason was in a similar situation, trying to find good references to use for his essay on the revenge theme in Euripides’ version of _Medea_ , when he saw the kid sitting down with a single book.

From the looks of him, he would have expected the kid to read Sylvia Plath or Edgar Allan Poe. He had black hair and sickly pale skin that looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in years. He was dressed all in black as well, and when he looked up from his book Jason thought he must be wearing contacts, because _nobody’s_ eyes were that dark. All in all, Jason first instinct was to dismiss him as just another goth kid. Except, when he walked by later, he saw the kid was reading Lewis Carroll. Not what you’d expect from such a gloomy kid. Well, “kid” wasn’t exactly accurate, he couldn’t have been more than two or three years younger than Jason at most.

Jason started noticing that the kid would come in around two o’clock every Tuesday and Thursday, read for an hour and then leave. It was a new poet every day; Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare and Charles Baudelaire. There seemed to be no pattern to it, so Jason came to the conclusion that the kid must reading them for fun, rather than a course of some kind.

It was when he saw the kid reading a copy of _the Aeneid_ that he decided he should try to talk to him. Not because of the book per se, but because Jason recognized that particular edition. He’d had to read parts of it for a Latin essay.

The only problem was that the library wasn’t exactly a great place for talking to people. As it happened, though, Jason didn’t have to worry about it, because the next Tuesday the kid walked up to him, looking vaguely irritated.

“Can I talk to you outside?” he asked quietly, and Jason nodded, following him out the door. As soon as they could talk freely the kid turned around and glared at him.

“What is your problem?” he asked. Jason blinked.

“Sorry, what?”

“You’ve been staring at me almost every time I’ve come here.” the kid said. “Why?”

“Oh, right. I didn’t realize.” Jason apologized. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Then why did you?”

“Umm, how do I say this?” Jason begun. “I saw you a couple of weeks ago, and noticed you seem to be reading poetry for fun, which I think is interesting. I guess I just started to check what poet you would choose this time.”

“You’re saying you’re stalking me because of the books I read?” Nico said, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m not stalking you. I’m always at the library at this time of the day, since my next seminar doesn’t start until four.” Jason said. “I just happened to notice you, since I know most of the other people hanging regularly in that part of the library. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Huh.” Nico said, nodding slowly. “Just don’t do it again.” He turned like he was planning on leaving.

“Wait.” Jason stopped him. “Sorry. It’s just… do you really read Vergil in Latin just for fun?”

The kid turned back, looking slightly surprised. “I’ve been studying old Greek and Latin since I was little. It’s no big deal.”

“But you’re not taking Classics, right?” Jason asked. “I would have seen you there.”

The kid shook his head. “Biology major. Pre med.” he said. “Like you said, poetry is just for fun.”

Jason was surprised. The kid really didn’t look like a Pre Med student, save for the dark rings under his eyes that the lot of them seemed to have. Jason couldn’t really imagine him tending to patients. Maybe he wanted to become a coroner.

“I’m Jason Grace.” Jason introduced himself. “What’s you name?”

“Nico di Angelo.” the kid said, hesitatingly shaking Jason’s hand. Jason smiled.

“Want to go grab a coffee or something?” Jason asked, and when he realized it sounded like he was asking the kid out on a date he added: “It would be fun discussing poetry with someone who isn’t standing knee-deep in theory.”

Nico checked his watch, looking uncomfortable. “Perhaps another time. I need to get to a seminar.”

“Okay.” Jason said, trying not to sound too disappointed. “Well, it was nice meeting you. You know where to find me if you change your mind.”

Nico nodded, then turned around and walked away. Jason sighed as he made his way back to the library. At least he knew the kid’s name now.

****  
Jason honestly didn’t think Nico was going to show up at his usual time the next Thursday. He was pretty sure he had scared the kid away, but as he was sitting in the library working on a an essay on Hercules’ labors a shadow fell over his desk. Jason turned around to see Nico standing there.

“I’m free for an hour if you still want to go for coffee.” he said quietly. Jason grinned widely as he nodded and collected his stuff. Hercules could wait.

The cafeteria on the ground floor of the library was pretty crowded, as usual, but they managed to find a decent spot in the farthest corner. Nico sat down in front of him, sipping on the blackest coffee Jason had ever seen. He looked slightly uncomfortable.

“So, why poetry?” Jason asked. “I didn’t think a Pre Med student would have time for it.”

Nico shrugged. “It’s a way to relax and do something completely different. And I have some free time between seminars Tuesdays and Thursdays, so it’s become routine.”

“I noticed.” Jason smiled. “So who’s your favorite?”

“Depends on what mood I’m in.” Nico said. ”But if I had to pick just one…T.S. Eliot I guess.”

Jason nodded. He would have pegged Nico as more of a gothic or romantic type, but his choice made perfect sense. Dark but often humorous, and always smart enough to encourage a second read.

“What about you?” Nico asked.

“Being a Classics major, I mostly read epic poetry.” Jason said. “But apart from that, I don’t know. I really like Lewis Carroll, to be honest. You were reading him the first day I saw you.”

“I was. He’s great fun if you need cheering up, but the nonsense is confusing sometimes.” Nico said. “I think I still prefer _Alice in Wonderland_ to his other works, though.”

An hour passed too quickly, and Nico had to run. Jason was a bit sad to see him go, but he figured they’d meet again the next Tuesday. It became a routine after that. Two times a week they would go for a coffee and talk. At first it was strictly about literature, but slowly other, more personal topics started to slip in.

“So why do you want to be a doctor?” Jason asked one day, munching on a muffin. Nico wasn’t eating anything. He never did.

“I’ve always been interested in how the human body works.” Nico shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea.”

“It’s not about helping people then?” Jason teased, and Nico rolled his eyes.

“Does it have to be?” he said, taking a sip of coffee. “What about you? Why Classics? You don’t really seem the type.”

“Would you believe me if I told you I was actually taking Political Science in my first year?” Jason said, smiling as Nico raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That had kinda been the plan since I was little. Well, my father’s plan.”

“And you rebelled by switching to Classics?” Nico asked, sounding vaguely amused.

“Pretty much.” Jason laughed. “I took a couple of literature courses and got interested, and slowly ended up on the Classics track. My father threw a fit when I told him. Said I was throwing away my future.”

“I can relate. My father can be pretty overbearing as well.” Nico said. “So what courses did you take?”

Jason noticed the quick change of subject but he let it slide. They didn’t know each other that well, and he didn’t want to overstep his boundaries.

***

He saw Nico by accident the next weekend, while going to meet Piper for lunch. Nico was walking hand in hand with a very pretty dark skinned girl with cinnamon hair. Nico seemed happier and more at ease than Jason had ever seen him. For some reason there was a sick feeling in Jason’s gut when Nico leaned in to kiss the girls cheek before they parted ways. Nico didn’t see him, and Jason didn’t particularly want to be seen at that moment either.

When Piper walked up to him ten minutes later Jason was in a pretty foul mood.

“Geez, you look like someone just insulted your mother.” Piper said in lieu of a greeting. Jason forced himself to smile at her.

“Sorry, just trying to work something out.” Jason said truthfully.

“Is it a girl?” Piper asked, ever perceptive. She had an uncanny ability to tell what he was feeling at any given time, which was probably the reason their friendship had lasted while their relationship hadn’t.

“No girl.” Jason said. “And it doesn’t matter. Let’s go eat.”

“Considering how happy you’ve been lately, I could have sworn you’d started dating somebody.” she said as they entered the diner, apparently not about to let the subject drop.

Jason shook his head. “Not dating. I made a new friend is all.”

“But you like her.” Piper persisted with a wicked smile.

“It’s not like that.” Jason said, though judging by the burst of jealousy he was still feeling it might have been exactly like that. “And it’s him, not her.”

Piper stared at him in surprise. “Oh my god!” she exclaimed, slowly starting to smile. “Really? You’re…”

“It’s not like that.” Jason repeated. “Anyway, he has a girlfriend.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry, Jason.” Piper said, her eyes full of sympathy. Jason shrugged.

“I don’t really know him that well, anyway.” he said dismissively. “Now, what to eat?”

***  
The sudden realization that he might like Nico as more than a friend filled his head the whole weekend and made it hard for him to concentrate on anything. His roommate noticed pretty quickly.

“Dude.” Leo said as he beat Jason’s character to a pulp on the PS3. “This was funny the first three times, but you’re not even trying. What’s on your mind?”

“I’m questioning my sexuality.” Jason said, and Leo laughed for a moment before turning back to look at him.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Leo said, sounding surprised. “It’s not because of me, is it? ‘Cause I know I’m hot and all, but…”

“Don’t worry, it’s not you.” Jason laughed. “It’s someone I met in the library.”

“The library. Of course.” Leo said. “A romance hot spot, that. A nest of immoral practices.”

“Are you okay with this?”

“As long as leave some sort of mark on the door when you bring him over.” Leo leered at him. “I don’t want to walk in on you two.”

“You don’t have to worry about it.” Jason said sadly. “He doesn’t like me that way.”

“That sucks, man.” Leo said, starting a new game. “Now choose a new character.”

***

Jason suspected meeting Nico at the café that Tuesday would be awkward, but he couldn’t help but look forward to it anyway. When he got there he was surprised to see another person sitting opposite Nico already. It wasn’t his girlfriend though.

“Hey,” he said as he approached. “Am I interrupting something?”

Nico looked up at him, looking honestly happy to see him, which made Jason’s heart beat a little faster. The guy in front of him turned around as well, and Jason was surprised when he recognized him.

“Jason!” Percy Jackson grinned. “Long time no see. I didn’t know you knew Nico.”

“Yeah, we met a couple of weeks back,” Jason said, sitting down. “But I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” Percy smiled, then turned to Nico. “Jason’s girlfriend is a good friend of Annabeth’s.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” Jason clarified hastily. “Piper and I broke up months ago.”

“Small world,” Nico said, his voice sounding a bit strained. He looked uncomfortable. Maybe he was the type of guy who didn’t enjoy mixing different groups of friends.

“Listen, I gotta go. I promised to meet Annabeth outside at ten past,” Percy said, still smiling. “We should bring the whole group together at some point. It’d be great.”

“Sounds like fun,” Nico said, with a voice that suggested he’d rather go to a funeral, but Percy didn’t seem to notice. He just waved happily and walked off. A silence fell over the table.

“I don’t suppose you want to tell me what that was about?” Jason asked carefully, and Nico glared at him.

“What do you mean?” he said, and it wasn’t a question as much as a challenge.

“Sorry. Forget it,” Jason said, not wanting to make the kid mad. Nico kept staring him down for a moment before he sighed.

“It’s not about you,” he finally said. “Listen, I won’t be able to make it on Thursday.”

“Oh,” Jason said, wondering if Nico was breaking the whole thing off. Not that it was a thing, exactly. “How about next week?”

“Not sure yet. My schedule has changed bit,” Nico said, and Jason felt his heart drop. It was a legitimate reason, of course, but Jason couldn’t help but wonder if the kid has just grown tired of him.

“Actually,” Nico continued, looking down at his coffee in discomfort. “I was wondering if you’re doing something Friday night. I mean, I understand if you’re busy, but it’s my only free time this week.”

Jason blinked. “I’m not busy,” he said, wondering if he had heard right. Technically he had planned to hang with Leo and Piper, but they wouldn’t mind if he canceled. “What did you have in mind?”

“Nothing special, a movie maybe?” Nico said. “My place?” He was still looking at his coffee, with his bangs covering most of his face. He seemed embarrassed, and Jason thought it was adorable.

“Sounds great,” Jason agreed, smiling so wide his cheeks were starting to hurt.

***  
Jason tried not to dress up for Friday night, but he still wanted to look decent. Leo was watching with raised eyebrows.

“You have turned into a girl,” Leo said. “This is the guy who doesn’t like you back, right? Why dress up for him?”

“Shut up,” Jason said. “You know how bad I am at this stuff. Do I look like I tried too hard?”

“You look like you’re going on a date,” Leo grinned.

“It’s not a date,” Jason said firmly, more to himself than to Leo. “I told you, he has a girlfriend.”

“Then you’re overdressed. What would you wear if it was me?”

“Sweatpants and a hoodie,” Jason said without hesitation. “But I see what you mean. Normal clothes it is.”

Nico’s apartment was just a short walk from campus. Jason figured his parents must be loaded if they could afford one this close to the university. It was a pretty old building, but it looked recently renovated. Jason’s heart was pounding way harder than it should have as he took the elevator up to the fifth floor and rang the doorbell.

“Hey,” Nico said as he opened the door and let Jason in. “You found the way alright?”

“Yeah, I almost went into the wrong house, but I realized my mistake,” Jason said smiling widely. Nico looked the way he always did, dressed in black pants and a t-shirt with a skull motif. Jason was seriously starting to wonder if he owned anything else. He seemed more relaxed than usual, perhaps because he wasn’t in a hurry to any seminars today.

“Nico, have you seen my phone?” a female voice said, and Jason looked up to see the pretty woman he’d seen Nico walking with that weekend. His girlfriend. Apparently they lived together. Jason tried not to be disappointed at that.

“Oh, you must be Jason,” she said, smiling warmly as she noticed him. It was hard not to smile back, despite his discomfort, and he shook her offered hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Hazel.”

“And you’re already ten minutes late,” Nico told her gently. “You were wearing your other coat when you came home. Have you checked the pockets?”

“Oh,” she said, rummaging through the hanging coats, then holding up her phone triumphantly. “It’s on mute. Frank’s been trying to call.”

“He’s going to think you’re standing him up if you don’t hurry,” Nico said pointedly. Hazel hastily kissed Nico’s cheek and ran out the door, quickly saying goodbye. Nico was shaking his head fondly after her.

“Who’s Frank?” Jason asked before he could stop himself.

“Hazel’s boyfriend. They’ve been dating for a couple of weeks,” Nico said dismissively and turned to walk further into the apartment. Jason stared after him.

“Wait. I thought you were her boyfriend,” Jason said, confused. Nico turned around to look at him, frowning.

“Hazel is my sister,” he said, like it should have been obvious.

“Your sister?” Jason repeated. “Really?”

“Yeah, I know. We don’t look anything alike,” Nico laughed. “I get that a lot. But we have the same dad.”

“Oh,” Jason said intelligently. “So you don’t have a girlfriend then?”

“Obviously not,” Nico said, rolling his eyes. “Now are you going to stand in the hallway for the rest of the evening or are you going to come in?”

Jason tried to ignore the fact that his heart was singing when Nico lead them to the living room and asked if he wanted coffee. Nico didn’t have a girlfriend, so maybe he still had a chance? Jason was happy, but he wasn’t really sure what to do with that. Because he’d thought Hazel and Nico were together he hadn’t even really dared to imagine them in a relationship.

“I’m guessing you don’t have a girlfriend either, since it’s Friday night and you’re here,” Nico said as he poured coffee for them both. “Milk or sugar?”

“Bit of both, please,” Jason said. “And no, not for a while. Why is there a picture of a skinned man on the table?”

“Because I’m planning on murdering you and wearing your skin,” Nico said, sounding so serious that that Jason actually got cold shivers for a moment before Nico laughed. “I had a quiz about muscle groups this morning.”

“That makes sense,” Jason said, laughing nervously. Nico grinned at him, obviously aware he’d had him for a second.

“Do gory imagery make you uncomfortable?” he asked, putting the picture away. “One would think you’d be used to it, reading Homeros every day.”

“Written gore doesn’t bother me. I have little imagination for a fan of literature,” Jason said. “Actually seeing mutilated people tends to give me nightmares, though.”

“At least you’re upfront about it.” Nico said, handing him his coffee. “I’ve known people who loudly declare they can watch a horror movie if I can, and are unable to sleep for weeks afterwards.”

“Like Percy?” Jason asked, almost regretting it when Nico lowered his eyes to his coffee mug again. “I mean, he seems to like to challenge people. He talked me into going through the House of Horrors at a fair last year.”

“Sounds like him.” Nico said, still keeping his eyes down. “Anyways, I’m guessing no horror movies tonight, then?”

A pretty smooth way to change the subject, Jason had to give him that. It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about Percy, or to Percy for that matter. Jason was tempted to ask, but this was the first time he’d been invited over and he didn’t want to ruin it.

“Preferably not.” Jason agreed. “Unless you really want to.”

Nico snorted. “I’m sure we can find something else. There’s a rental place around the corner, but we have a pretty good selection here as well. I’ll show you.”

He opened a cabinet full of movies, many of which were still in plastic folio. Jason smiled widely as he inspected it.

“You really like animated movies, don’t you?” he said. “You have all the Disney Classics.”

“Yeah, well. We didn’t have them when I was little.” Nico said, sounding embarrassed. Jason looked up at him in surprise.

“How come?” he asked. “Most people have at least a few.”

“My mother was kinda old fashioned. Didn’t even own a TV. Neither did Hazel’s.” he said. “So when we started living with our father and he handed us money to stay out of his way we kinda went crazy. Hence: Movies.”

“Understandable.” Jason said, looking through the collection. “I guess that also explains you using poetry to relax.”

“Maybe. Hazel has a fondness for art, and I like poetry.” Nico shrugged. “We don’t really watch TV all that much.”

“I can see you don’t have any gaming platforms, either.” Jason said.

“We tend to play tabletop games when we get bored.” Nico said.

“Really?” Jason said. “That’s awesome. I haven’t played anything like that for years. I used to be really good at Clue.”

“It’s pretty predictable to play with only two people, though.” Nico said. “Maybe we could play it with Hazel and Frank sometime.”

“That sounds fun.” Jason said, wondering if he was reading too much into it. It kinda sounded like Nico suggested a double date, but probably not.

In the end they settled on an action movie neither of them had seen yet. Jason had heard some people recommend it, but he couldn’t really see why. Mostly it was just people running around and blowing things up. It even had some really pointless gory imagery that made Jason’s stomach turn. He turned his eyes towards Nico to see his reaction. The kid seemed bothered by it, but not in the same way Jason was.

“That looks ridiculous.” Nico said irritatedly. “Blood doesn’t flow like that, not even if the guy’s been take blood thinners for years.”

Jason laughed slightly. He pretty much stopped paying attention to the movie after that, and kept glancing back at Nico. The colors from the television were dancing in his dark eyes, his brows were slightly furrowed, and he kept biting his lips every time something on the screen bothered him. Jason tried not to stare at those lips, but he had never been known to be subtle, so of course Nico noticed.

“What is it?” he asked, frowning towards Jason.

“Sorry, it’s just…” Jason begun. “Can I kiss you?”

Nico blinked. He looked shocked, and Jason blushed like a teenager on his first date.

“I thought you were straight.” Nico finally said.

“I was. I mean I thought I was.” Jason said nervously. “But I’ve been thinking about this for a while now and I really want to kiss you.”

“Me?” Nico said in disbelief, and Jason frowned.

“Yes, you.” he said. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to, though. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything.”

“Are you messing with me?” Nico asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Why would I be messing with you?” Jason asked, getting frustrated. “Look, if you don’t want to, just say so, and I won’t bring it up again.”

“I didn’t say that.” Nico muttered, his cheeks turning pink as he looked down at his hands. Jason took that as an invitation to get closer, moving slowly enough to give Nico every chance of pushing him away. He didn’t. Jason could see him trembling slightly as he gently cupped Nico’s cheek and brought their mouths together.

It was only a chaste, tongueless kiss, because Nico was tense as a bowstring beside him and Jason didn’t want to overstep his boundaries. Still, he held on for a while, because the sensation of kissing another boy was surprisingly strong. He smiled slightly as he pulled back.

“That’s it?” Nico asked, looking up at him. He sounded simultaneously frightened and disappointed. Jason laughed, which seemed to have been the wrong move, considering how Nico as glaring at him.

“Not unless you want it to be.” Jason said. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Like I’d let you anyway.” Nico muttered defiantly, but he seemed more relaxed now. Jason smiled as he moved in again, and this time he dared to deepen the kiss. The action movie was still rolling behind them, giving them a strange background music of explosions and people shouting. Jason ignored it. The only sounds he was interested in were the quiet moans Nico was making.

When he finally pulled back they were both flustered and short of breath. Nico looked a little dazed, like he couldn’t quite believe that had just happened. Jason suspected he was wearing a similar expression.

“I like you.” Jason said stupidly. “Go out with me?”

Nico suddenly looked uncomfortable, which wasn’t the reaction Jason had hoped for. He withdrew, giving the kid some space.

“I can’t do that to you.” Nico said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Nico said, sounding frustrated. “That I have a crush on someone else. It’s impossible and stupid and I’ve been trying to get over it but it just doesn’t work.”

“I understand.” Jason said, trying not to be hurt. Nico was only being honest, after all. “It’s Percy, isn’t it?”

Nico made a disgruntled face at him. “Is it that obvious?”

“Not really. Just a hunch.” Jason said. “You haven’t told him?”

“What would be the point?” Nico said in a voice that suggested he’d had this argument many times before, probably in his own head. “Percy loves Annabeth, and they’re not breaking up anytime soon.”

Nico took a deep breath. “Besides, I’m a guy. I’ve liked him since forever, but I’m not an idiot. I know it’s never going to happen.”

“You ever tried dating somebody else?”

“Once. A girl.” Nico said. “It lasted about a week, and it wasn’t pretty by the end of it.”

“Do you want to try again?” Jason asked, watching as he looked up in surprise. ”It might help you move on, if that’s what you want.”

“It wouldn’t really be fair to you,” Nico said, hesitating. Jason could see he wanted to say yes, but it was to his credit that he didn’t.

“Maybe, but on the other hand I know where you stand.” Jason said. “We could try, for a while. And if you still feel you can’t do it you can tell me.”

“Seriously?” Nico said. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Depends.” Jason said. “Only if you think you might be able to move on with me. Not if you use me as a substitute.”

Nico was quiet for a while, studying his face. “Kiss me again,” he demanded, and Jason obliged.

“Yes.” Nico said when they finally parted. “Yes, I think maybe I could.”

Jason smiled at him, but he lowered his eyes, looking uncomfortable again. “What is it?” Jason asked, because surely he couldn’t change his mind after only a second.

“I haven’t actually told anyone I like guys. Well, Hazel knows, but no one else,” he said. “Would you be okay with keeping this a secret?”

“Ehm,” Jason said. “I’ve already kinda vented to my friends that I like you. Not by name, but they are going to make the connection.”

“Great,” Nico muttered.

“Don’t you think coming out might be easier for you in the long run?” Jason asked.

“I don’t know how anyone will react.” Nico said.

“I doubt they would mind.” Jason said. “I mean, they might be surprised. But if they really care about you they’ll accept you.”

“Sounds like something taken from a greeting card.” Nico muttered. “Please, can we keep this between us? For a while at least?”

“Fine.” Jason said. “I won’t tell anyone, though my friends will probably guess, like I said.”

“Thank you.” Nico said, and Jason leaned in to kiss him again. Things were more eager now. They were desperately exploring each other, and Jason’s pants were tighter than they should have been. Nico was practically in his lap, and Jason gasped as their groins accidentally touched.

“We should stop.” Jason said, withdrawing far enough to form the words. Nico was looking at him through half closed lids.

“Why?” he asked, moving slightly in Jason’s lap. Remembering the reason was very hard.

“A bit too fast. First date and everything.” Jason mumbled into Nico’s neck. “God, Nico. I want you.”

Somehow that seemed to sober him up. “You’re right. We should stop.” he said, breathing into Jason’s ear, and Jason groaned disappointedly as Nico climbed off him and sank down on the couch about a foot away. Jason was itching to close the distance between them again. He really needed to calm down. The movie was now showing a chase scene through catacombs lined with dead people, which helped.

“This is probably the worst movie I’ve ever seen,” Nico said after a while. Jason laughed.

“Now you’re going to tell me bodies don’t decompose like that, right?” he teased, finally daring to look over at the kid. Nico still seemed flustered and was sitting with his legs dragged up to his chin, looking incredibly cute. Especially when he smirked towards Jason.

“Among other things.” he said. “It basically has no plot either.”

“To be fair we missed quite a bit of it.” Jason smiled, and Nico blushed. Jason couldn’t resist moving closer and putting an arm around him. Nico tensed up at first, but once he realized Jason wasn’t going to do more than that he relaxed and leaned into the touch.

“Yeah, I think this could work,” Nico murmured. Jason smiled as he leaned down to kiss his eyelid.

They spent the rest of the evening cuddling on the sofa while watching Disney’s _Fantasia_ for no particular reason. A little after midnight Jason went home, making Nico promise to call the following day. Leo was still up tinkering with his computer as Jason entered the dorm room.

“Well? How did it go?” Leo asked, leering at Jason.

“Fine,” Jason said, trying not to blush but judging by the way Leo was grinning at him he probably failed.

“Oh, yeah. I bet his ass was _fine_ ,” Leo leered, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up,” Jason said, which wasn’t much of a retort but it was all he could manage at the time.

“Really? You guys actually did it?” Leo exclaimed, sounding happily scandalized. “I guess he wasn’t so straight after all, huh?”

“No, we didn’t,” Jason said, getting frustrated. “We just kissed a bunch of times. I promised I would try to keep the whole thing a secret, so don’t tell anyone, please.”

“No worries, man. I won’t tell,” Leo said. “So you and your closet case are together now, then?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Jason said. _As long as it lasts_.

Jason lay awake for quite a while pondering his new relationship with Nico. He wasn’t completely happy with the situation. Nico still liked someone else after all. Normally Jason would have accepted the rejection and been done with it, but something had urged him to press on in this case. Nico was obviously a strange kid, and seemed to have more issues than a newsstand, not to mention he was almost frightening at times, but somehow Jason felt drawn to him. He had been intrigued from day one, ever since he saw the kid in the library.

 _But why did it have to be Percy Jackson?_ Jason wondered, sighing deeply as he turned to stare up at the roof. It wasn’t much of a surprise. Everyone and their mothers had had crushes on Percy at one point or another, something he never seemed to notice unless someone pointed it out to him. Even Jason, who’ve had a friendly rivalry going on with him since they met, had to admit it was hard not to like him. And Nico had apparently been carrying a torch for Percy for years.  
How on earth was Jason going to make Nico forget about him?


	2. Chapter 2

As promised, Nico called him the following day, and they agreed to meet up for a quick lunch. Nico sounded a bit nervous on the phone, like he expected Jason to hang up on him. Jason wanted to seem reassuring, but he had a hard time keeping a straight face throughout the conversation, because Leo was making obscene gestures at him from the other side of the room.

“Dude, that’s not funny,” Jason said after hanging up. Leo laughed.

“Sure it is,” he said. “You have a date and I don’t, so this is my revenge. Maybe I should go hang out in the library as well.”

“Aren’t you still banned?” Jason asked, and Leo laughed.

“Yeah,” he said. “Alas, true love shall elude me forever.”

“Funny,” Jason muttered, looking into his closet with a frown.

“Are you seriously having trouble dressing yourself again?” Leo said. “You’re already together, right? You can wear anything you like.”

“It’s not that simple,” Jason said.

“What, so this guy will dump you if you wear the wrong clothes, is that it?” Leo said, dismayed. “What is he, fashion major?”

“Biology, pre med,” Jason said. “And no, he wouldn’t, but I still want to look good.”

“You were never this fussy with Piper,” Leo said. “You’ve really got it bad for this guy. I wanna meet him.”

“I’m sure you will, at some point,” Jason said. Provided they lasted that long.

***

Nico was waiting for him outside a small cafe nearby. He smiled as Jason approached, and Jason really wanted to walk up and kiss him, but Nico had told him to keep it a secret, so Jason settled for clapping Nico’s shoulder a couple of times.

“How are you? You look tired,” he said, gesturing towards the circles under Nico’s eyes that seemed even darker than usual. Nico shrugged.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “It happens. Shall we?”

Jason bought a sandwich and Nico bought fruit, and then sat down at a small table in the corner of the café. At first there was an awkward silence, so Jason returned to the safe topic of books and literature. By the time they had both finished eating the conversation was pretty lively.

Way too soon Nico looked at his watch. “I have to get going. I have two essays due on Monday,” he said, getting up.

“I’ll walk you back. We’re heading in the same direction anyway,” Jason said, falling into step with him, itching to take his hand. Once they reached Nico’s apartment, Nico hesitated.

“Um, do you want to come up for a cup of coffee or something?” he said, sounding a bit nervous.

"Sure," Jason grinned happily and followed Nico inside. As they entered the apartment, Nico gave him a hesitant look while biting his lower lip, and Jason couldn’t resist the temptation of walking over to kiss him. Judging by how fast Nico kissed back, he had wanted him to. 

When they finally parted they were both flustered and breathing heavily. Jason would have liked to continue, but Nico pulled him closer and rested his head on Jason’s shoulder in a fairly innocent manner. Jason smiled at the gesture, and gently pulled his fingers through Nico’s hair.

“I really should get started on that essay,” Nico mumbled after a while, and Jason reluctantly pulled back. 

“Right, I should get going then,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Nico bit his lip again, frowning. “I don’t think I’ll have time,” he said. “Sorry. It’s just that I’m trying to juggle a lot of things right now.”

“It’s okay,” Jason said, smiling as he leaned down to give him a kiss on the forehead. “Just call me when you can, okay? Anytime.“

“I will,” Nico promised, and Jason said goodbye. As he walked home his thoughts lingered on Nico.

He felt like he was getting mixed signals, to be honest. On the one hand, Nico had a crush on someone else, didn’t want anyone to know about their relationship and didn’t really have time for him, but on the other hand, he had basically invited Jason in just to make out with him for a while. It was confusing, but maybe it meant he had a chance, at least.

***

A couple of nights later Nico called him, wondering if it was okay for him to come over to Jason’s place.

“I wouldn’t ask at this short a notice,” Nico said, sounding nervous. “But Hazel’s is having Frank over and I _really_ don’t want to be here.”

“It’s fine. My roommate is going to be home soon, though, so as long as you don’t mind that...” Jason said.

“I don’t mind,” Nico interrupted. “I’ll be right over.”

Half an hour later there was a knock on the door, and Jason found Nico outside, his hair and clothes damp from the rain.

“I was in a hurry and forgot to bring an umbrella,” he shrugged when he saw Jason’s questioning look.

“Come in,” Jason said. “Do you need to borrow a dry shirt?”

“No, my jacket shielded me from the most of it,” Nico said, and Jason tried not to stare at the droplets of water running from his hair down his neck to his collarbone. He failed.

“Something wrong?” Nico asked, frowning at him. Jason shook his head to clear it.

“No, it’s fine,” Jason said, reaching out to touch his face, gently sweeping a few raindrops away with his thumb. “Can I kiss you?”

“I thought you said your roommate was going to come home soon,” Nico said uncertainly, though he didn’t back away.

“He is, but he’s not here yet,” Jason pointed out. “Besides, he already figured things out. Sorry.”

“Great,” Nico muttered. “So much for keeping it a secret.”

“It’s just him, and I made him promise not to tell anyone else,” Jason said reassuringly, moving a bit closer. “Well, can I?”

“You don’t have to ask every time, you know,” Nico mumbled, and Jason took that as a yes.

He leaned in and their lips met, chaste at first, but Jason quickly deepened the kiss. There was something about this boy he couldn’t get enough of, and he felt like he could have kissed him for hours if he hadn't heard a key in the lock outside the door. Nico immediately pushed him away, looking embarrassed.

“I hate rain,” Leo declared loudly as he entered, then he saw Nico and raised an eyebrow. “Who’s this? I thought we were having a game night.”

“This is Nico,” Jason introduced him. “Nico, this is Leo, my roommate.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nico said, cheeks still a bit red. “Sorry to intrude.”

“His sister is having her boyfriend over,” Jason said as an explanation. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“It’s cool,” Leo shrugged. “The more the merrier. We can take turns playing.”

“It’s okay, I’ll just watch,” Nico said. “I haven’t really played video games since the Super Nintendo.”

“Wait, I thought you said your mother didn’t own a TV,” Jason said, unable to resist the temptation of putting an arm around him.

“No, but me and my sister hung out at the arcade a lot after school. They had a few console games there,” Nico said, attempting to shrug Jason's arm off, apparently embarrassed.

“Hang on a second,” Leo said, glancing between the two of them. “This is the guy you’ve been swooning over?”

“Something wrong with that?” Jason asked dangerously, pulling Nico a little closer. The kid was mouthing “swooning” at him with something that might have been a smirk. He didn’t seem offended.

“No, of course not,” Leo said, defensively holding his hands up. “Somehow I just pictured someone a little more, you know, bulky. Like you.”

“I’m not bulky,” Jason protested, earning him a raised eyebrow and an eye roll from Leo and Nico respectively. Suddenly Jason had a feeling that introducing these two might have been a bad idea in the long run.

“So what do you prefer?” Leo asked Nico as they settled on the floor in front of the TV, surrounded by snacks and cushions. “Zombies or pirates?”

“Depends on the context,” Nico said, a bit confused. “What are we talking about?”

“We have two new games that we haven’t had time to play yet,” Jason explained, holding up the covers of _The Last of Us_ and _Black Flag_. “Zombies or pirates?”

“Zombies, I guess,” Nico said uncertainly and Jason put the disk into the console.

“So is this a game or a movie?” Nico asked a few minutes in, when they were still watching the opening cutscenes.

“You sound like an old man,” Leo laughed. “Prepare to be educated.”

Leo had the controller first, so Jason’s hands restlessly found their way into Nico’s hair as they watched the first part of the game. Nico seemed completely immersed in it and didn’t pull away from him. It really was a lot like a movie, in many ways, but Jason was a bit too distracted by Nico's presence to fully concentrate on it. 

“Holy shit!” Leo muttered as one of the characters died. Nico didn’t say anything, but he grabbed a hold of Jason’s hand suddenly. Jason gave his hand a gentle squeeze, feeling disproportionally happy over such a small gesture.

They played for a long time. Nico didn’t say much during the whole thing, though he did seem interested in watching the story unfold. Around midnight his phone buzzed.

“Hazel says it’s safe for me to go home now,” he said, getting up from the floor. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

“Anytime,” Jason smiled, giving him a brief kiss by the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good. Goodnight,” he said, blushing a bit before heading out. Jason sighed as the door closed behind him. 

“Well, that was interesting,” Leo grinned as Jason sat down on the floor again. “I really wouldn’t have thought he was your type, but he’s got you _so_ whipped and doesn’t seem to realize it.”

“Shut up,” Jason muttered. “I really like him, okay?”

“I could tell. You couldn’t keep your hands off him,” Leo said, rolling his eyes. “Dude, I’ve never seen you like this. You’re in too deep.”

“I know,” Jason sighed. “I can’t help it. Just drop it.”

“Fine. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

 _Me too_ , Jason thought.

***  
They didn’t have much time to see each other the following days, though they talked on the phone a lot. The one evening they were both free, Friday night about a week later, Percy and Annabeth decided to invite the whole gang to a party at their place. 

The party wasn’t particularly fun. Nico obviously tried his best to seem happy, but his face fell every time Percy and Annabeth shared a kiss or held hands. Jason didn’t think anyone else was watching him closely enough to notice, but the whole thing made Jason’s blood boil with jealously and irrational anger. It was hard enough to keep himself from punching Percy in the face, or at least be really rude towards him, but the real challenge was not touching Nico in a way that showed how possessive he really felt. He wasn’t able to keep his hands off completely, but managed to restrict himself to friendly gestures, like a hand on the shoulder or the arm. Leo kept giving him knowing looks, and he was pretty sure Piper figured him out in five seconds, but neither of them said anything.

Percy was, of course, completely oblivious to the whole thing. When he casually threw an arm around Nico’s shoulders and asked if he had found himself a girlfriend yet Jason accidentally broke a glass in his hand. The cracking sound brought everyone’s attention towards him.

“Sorry,” Jason said stupidly. “I don’t know how that happened.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Annabeth said. “Jason, you're bleeding.”

Nico sighed, shaking Percy’s arm off as he got up from the couch. “I’ll take care of it. You still have a first aid kit in the bathroom, right?”

Annabeth nodded, but Jason hesitated. “You don’t have to, I can...”

“Call it medical practice,” Nico said dismissively as he grabbed Jason’s arm and dragged him towards the bathroom.

Nico’s face was completely expressionless as he patched Jason up. He gave off an almost professional wibe, and for the first time it hit Jason that Nico might actually make a good doctor one day. Once the wound was dressed, however, he took a step back and looked Jason straight in the eyes.

“I think we need to talk,” Nico said, and Jason’s heart sank down to his toes. He barely managed a nod. The silence that followed was deafening.

“Is Jason okay?” Percy asked, looking inside. Jason tried not to glare at him.

“He’ll be fine,” Nico said, grabbing Jason’s arm again. “We’re just going out for a bit of fresh air.”

Once outside, they walked around the corner down the street, probably so nobody would hear Nico breaking up with him. Jason was desperately trying to come up with something to say that would make him change his mind, but his brain wasn’t working properly. 

Finally, Nico stopped and turned around to look at him, frowning slightly. “Were you jealous back there?”

That wasn’t what Jason had been expecting, but it didn’t mean those words wouldn’t follow. He nodded.

Nico’s frown deepened. “I told you how I felt when we first started going out.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not jealous,” Jason said gloomily.

“But you know it’s never going to happen,” Nico said. “He’s just being friendly. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“I know, but you still like him,” Jason pointed out.

“Did you really expect me to get over my eight year old crush in just a month?” Nico said angrily, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“No, of course not. I know it’s not that easy,” Jason said quickly. “But I can’t help being jealous when you allow him to touch you like that. And you don’t even want to tell anyone about us!”

“That’s what this is about then?” Nico said dangerously. Jason nodded, waiting for the breakup he had been expecting since the bathroom. Instead Nico grabbed his arm and forcefully dragged him back to the house.

“Hey, what took you guys so long?” Percy asked when they entered. Everyone else looked up at them as well and Hazel’s and Piper’s faces were mirror images of concern.

“Lovers’ quarrel, nothing for you to worry about,” Nico said. Seven pairs of eyes went wide at the statement, including Jason’s. In fact, out of everyone in the room he was probably the most surprised.

“Wait, what?” Percy said, bewildered. “You and Jason...” 

“...have been together for a month,” Nico finished, in a tone that suggested he was daring anyone to say anything about it. If Jason hadn’t felt his hand shaking against his arm he would have bought the bravado.

The room was silent for a while, then Piper laughed. “I knew it!” she said triumphantly.

“No, you didn’t,” Leo scoffed. “But I did.” 

Piper and Leo entered a private conversation about him not telling her about it, while the rest of the group just smiled and offered congratulations. Percy seemed more baffled than the rest, but even he grinned and told Jason that if he ever hurt Nico he would break his face. Despite the threat being well meant, Jason found it a little hard to respond to it with humor.

Sometime after midnight Jason, Nico and Leo were walking home in the same direction. Hazel had opted to go to Frank’s place instead, which was probably why Leo drew his own conclusions.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he told Jason once they reached the crossroads. “Have fun, and use protection!” He laughed to himself as he walked off, leaving Jason behind, a little confused.

“Um,” he said uncertainly, glancing at Nico. “I’ll go after him. I’ll see you around?”

“It’s okay. You can come over if you like,” Nico said. “I get the feeling you still want to talk.”

That was true, among other things, so Jason followed Nico home. They walked in silence, but it didn't feel uncomfortable.

“So what’s on your mind?” Nico asked when they entered the apartment.

Jason hesitated. “Are you really okay with everyone knowing?”

“A bit too late now, isn’t it?” Nico snorted. “And they took it better than I thought they would.”

“But you told them for my sake, not your own,” Jason pointed out.

“Well, you were right. Being secretive wasn’t really fair to you,” Nico said. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m ashamed of you or anything.”

“Thanks,” Jason said, giving him a smile. “But I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want, either.”

“You’re not forcing me,” Nico said. ”I wouldn’t be with you if I didn’t want to.”

Jason knew that, of course, but hearing it was still a relief. Smiling, he closed the distance between them, leaning down to press his lips against Nico’s. One kiss turned to two, turned to many, and somehow they ended up on the couch with Nico in Jason’s lap. When Nico finally pulled back and sunk down beside him, cheeks flustered, Jason couldn’t resist leaning over for one more kiss.

“We should stop,” Nico murmured against his mouth. Jason was admittedly disappointed, but pulled back anyway, although he did put an arm around Nico’s shoulders to continue holding him close. Nico leaned against Jason’s shoulder, clearly not complaining.

“Can I stay here tonight?” Jason asked, placing a gentle kiss into Nico’s hair.

“Sure, as long as you don’t expect anything to happen,” Nico said, then blushed and looked down at the floor. "It's not that I don't want to, but..."

“We’re doing this at your pace,” Jason promised. “Though I admit I was hoping for cuddles.”

“And what do you call this?” Nico said with a laugh, then untangled himself from Jason to get up from the couch. “Come on, let’s go to sleep.”

Jason lay awake for a long while, just listening to Nico breathing. He was gently spooning the younger boy, trying not to press up against him too hard for his own sanity’s sake. He wanted Nico so much it hurt, but at the same time he was incredibly honored that Nico trusted him enough to sleep beside him. He buried his face in Nico’s hair, breathing in the sweet scent of him as he closed his eyes.

***

The bed was empty when Jason woke up, but Nico wasn’t far away. He was sitting at the desk with his back turned, bent over a thick book with a cup of coffee beside him. He was already dressed, and Jason wondered just how long he had been up already.

Nico didn’t seem to notice when he got up from bed, so Jason sneaked up on him and put his arms around him from behind, causing Nico to yelp in surprise.

“Jesus, Jason, don’t do that!” Nico exclaimed, seemingly more embarrassed than angry. Jason chuckled to himself as he placed a kiss on Nico’s neck.

“Thanks for letting me stay,” he said against Nico’s skin, happy to see Nico tremble a bit at the touch.

“Any time,” Nico said, sounding slightly breathless, so Jason proceeded to gently suck Nico’s neck, earning a moan as a reward. That didn’t help his morning wood one bit.

Jason released his grip on him and stepped back, and Nico turned around with a frown. “That’s it?” he asked, sounding disappointed, and Jason laughed.

“I need to go wash my teeth, and shower,” Jason said. “Unless you want to join me?”

Nico blushed deeply and turned back to his book, so Jason went to take his cold shower by himself. 

“So I was thinking,” Jason said when he was dressed and they were sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. “Since everybody knows about us now, we should go out somewhere.”

“Out?” Nico asked frowning slightly.

“Yeah, you know, on a date,” Jason said.

“Oh,” Nico said. “I really haven’t been on many dates in my life. What do you have in mind?”

“I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead,” Jason smiled, causing Nico to laugh at him. “Maybe dinner and a movie?”

“Original,” Nico smiled. “But sure, if we can find an evening that works for the both of us.”

As it turned out, it took almost two weeks for them to find a good time to go out. It was Friday night, and they met outside the local movie theater. Jason had opted to dress up a bit for once, and when he saw Nico he was glad he had. For once Nico wasn’t wearing his standard aviator’s jacket and torn jeans, but rather a black sleek jacket and a white buttoned up shirt, combined with black pants. Jason had a real hard time taking his eyes off him.

“Hazel convinced me to dress up,” Nico said, blushing slightly. “Does it look weird?”

“No, you look great,” Jason smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss. He knew Nico wouldn’t want to display too much affection in public, but after only seeing him in passing for two weeks he couldn’t resist the temptation. The brief kiss made Nico go red and look around nervously.

“It’s okay, no one will care,” Jason assured him, casually throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Let’s go get our tickets. Do you want popcorn?”

“I’m not much for popcorn, honestly. Or any kind of corn,” Nico said, smiling at Jason’s surprised expression. “Long story involving a school play about plants. Let’s never talk about it.”

“Okay,” Jason grinned, leading them inside the theater.

The movie passed in a blur, between stealing kisses and just being unable to concentrate on anything but the boy beside him. Jason had always hated couples who made out in movie theaters, but suddenly he found himself to be one of them. At least they had a corner seat in the back, so they didn’t disturb too many people.

“So where do you want to go for dinner?” Jason asked as they got out of the theater after the movie had finished. Jason had never really managed to grasp what the movie was about.

“Um, honestly I just want to go home,” Nico said, and Jason’s disappointment must have been evident in his face, because Nico rolled his eyes. “I don’t mean alone, moron. We could pick something up and head to my apartment. Hazel is at Frank’s again anyways.”

“Sounds great,” Jason said, grinning widely.

They picked up some Chinese food because it was fast, then headed to Nico’s apartment to eat. However, as soon as they came in through the door, Nico turned towards Jason, blushing slightly as he bit his lower lip. He could be hard to read sometimes, but Jason knew what that particular look meant by now. He dropped the bags on the floor and brought their lips together in a sloppy kiss. Nico responded immediately, pushing himself against Jason in an almost desperate manner. Jason groaned as Nico rubbed against him, probably by accident, and ended up pushing Nico against the wall just to get as close to him as possible, all while kissing him deeply. Nico moaned against Jason’s mouth, and it was one of the most erotic sounds he’d ever heard. Mustering up all his self control he took a step back.

“What’s wrong?” Nico asked, breathing heavily.

“We have to stop,” Jason said. “Or I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

“What if I don’t want you to stop?” Nico asked. Jason took a hesitant step forward again, cupping Nico’s cheek with his hand.

“Are you sure?” he asked, looking straight into his dark eyes. “It’s okay if you’re not ready. I can wait.”

“I’m sure,” Nico said, closing the distance between them again. Jason enthusiastically kissed back while his hands found the hem of Nico’s shirt. Exploring the naked skin beneath it was something Jason had wanted to do for a long time, but he wanted more. He started opening the buttons on Nico’s shirt, and soon enough had him half-naked in front of him. Jason pulled away from the kiss long enough to actually take a look at him.

“What?” Nico said defensively, looking nervous and embarrassed. 

Jason smiled at him, leaning over to kiss his neck. “You’re beautiful,” he said honestly.

Nico rolled his eyes, but blushed deeply. “Come on, help me with this,” he mumbled, tugging at Jason’s T-shirt, so Jason took a step back and pulled it over his head. Nico carefully ran a hand over the muscles on his chest, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to touch.

“You’re really fit,” he murmured, and Jason chuckled as he moved closer again, letting his hands wander from Nico’s shoulders to his waist.

“I try to stay in shape,” he said, leaning to put his mouth on Nico’s neck again as he pulled the boy a bit closer.

“Well, you’ve succeeded,” Nico said, gasping as Jason sucked his skin. “I just don’t understand how someone like you could want me.”

“You have too low an opinion of yourself. We need to do something about that,” Jason said against his neck. “I like you. And I want you. I want you so fucking much.”

“Then take me,” Nico said breathlessly. Jason pressed up against him, separating Nico’s legs with his own as he moved his hand downwards, gently squeezing Nico’s ass before taking a better hold of him and lifting him up so that his legs were around Jason’s waist. Nico gave a surprised yelp at the movement, holding on to Jason like he was afraid he’d fall.

“Relax, I’m taking us to your bedroom,” Jason said, starting to carry him away.

“I could have walked, you know,” Nico muttered.

“Not without me letting go of you you couldn’t have,” Jason said. “And I don’t want to do that.”

“Fair point,” Nico said, squeezing a bit tighter.

Jason carried him to the bed, then slowly placed them down on it with Nico beneath him. Kissing him in that position was a very different experience, and at least twice as exhilarating.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” Jason whispered as he pulled back.

“I don’t know. You’re the one with actual experience,” Nico murmured, gasping as Jason placed a slow kiss on his Adam's apple.

“Not with men. I’m as new to this as you are,” Jason said. “I honestly want to fuck you, but that may be a little too much.”

“Oh,” Nico said turning red. “Um, yeah. Check my bedroom drawer.”

Jason climbed over him to reach the drawer. He raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a half filled tube of lubrication and a couple of condoms. 

“What? I’ve had fantasies,” Nico said, clearly embarrassed. 

“I’m not judging,” Jason said, leaning over to kiss him. “I’m actually glad. Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yes, already,” Nico said, sounding exasperated as he reached out for the waistline of Jason’s jeans. Still, Jason managed to get Nico out of his own pants first. He seemed a bit nervous about being completely exposed in front of Jason.

“Could we turn off the lights?” Nico asked, then moaned as Jason licked a slow circle around his left nipple.

“I want to be able to see you,” Jason said against his skin, reaching down to put a hand around Nico’s erection, causing Nico to gasp. He kept a slow pace stroking the boy as he lifted him up to sit in his lap. It was tempting to start jerking himself off as well, but this was about Nico. He stopped pumping long enough to cover the fingers of his right hand in lube, then kept stroking Nico’s length as he found his hole and put a finger in. Nico’s breath hitched, and Jason gently kissed his collarbone as he moved his finger experimentally, trying to stretch Nico out.

“Jason,” Nico moaned. “Don’t you want me to…?”

“Later. This is about you,” Jason said. “Tell me what you like.”

“You can go a little faster. Put another finger in,” Nico said, then moaned loudly as Jason did as he was told. “This feels...it feels incredible.”

“If something hurts, just tell me, okay?” Jason said, and Nico nodded. Not long afterwards Jason added the third finger, and Nico came in his hand without warning. He collapsed against Jason, who had never been so turned on in his life.

“Sorry,” Nico said. “That just sort of happened.”

“It’s okay,” Jason said, having to clear his throat because his voice was too thick. “Should I stop?”

“It’ll take me a while to recharge, and you don’t look like you want to wait,” Nico said, smiling slightly as he looked down at Jason’s achingly hard erection. “May I?”

“Jesus, Nico. Do you have to ask?” Jason said, though he was surprised when Nico didn’t just reach out for him, but instead sunk down on his elbows between Jason’s legs. 

“You don’t have to...” Jason tried.

“I want to,” Nico interrupted, then moved closer to kiss the tip of Jason’s cock before taking it in his mouth. He was inexperienced but eager and felt so, so good. Jason came embarrassingly fast, but at least he had managed to warn Nico in time for him to not get a mouthful.

Jason collapsed on the bed, and Nico curled up to him seconds later. Jason pulled him closer, then closed his eyes and went to sleep, feeling content.

He woke up some time later to Nico mumbling in his sleep. It took him a moment to make out the words, but when he did his heart stopped.

“Percy,” Nico mumbled. It wasn’t a moan, thankfully. Jason wasn’t sure what he would have done if it had been. He untangled himself from Nico and sat up, holding his head in his hands. Last night had been amazing, but had it really been him Nico wanted? Or had he imagined Percy the whole time? Hearing him mumble Percy’s name in his sleep made it clear that his feelings were still as strong as ever, and suddenly Jason couldn’t deal with it. He quickly got dressed, then left.

He didn’t want to answer any questions, so he didn’t go home. Instead he sat down in a nearby park, trying to sort things out in his head.

Nico had warned him. He had told him repeatedly he wasn’t over Percy yet, though Jason had stupidly thought it was just a question of time. Hell, he'd thought that maybe they were past it already. Now he knew better.

His phone rung about an hour later, and he stared at Nico’s name on the screen for a moment, not wanting to answer. Then he realized he had left without a word, and he owed him an explanation, at least.

“Hello,” Jason said, his voice sounding rougher than he had expected.

“Where the hell are you?” Nico asked angrily. “You could have left a message or something!”

“Sorry,” Jason said. “I needed some time to think.”

“About what?” Nico asked, with an undertone of panic, and Jason’s heart clenched at the sound of it. He wanted so very much to tell him it was nothing and he would be right back, but he couldn’t. Not this time.

“Is this about last night?” Nico asked. “Was it...was it really that bad?”

Jason could have laughed, but it came out a sob. “It was wonderful, really. But it wasn’t me you wanted, was it?”

“What are you talking about?” Nico asked, clearly confused. “I told you...”

“You said his name,” Jason interrupted, and the line was quiet for a minute.

“No, I didn’t. I can’t have,” Nico said, sounding frightened but certain.

“Not when we were doing it. In your sleep,” Jason said. “In my arms.”

“Jason, that doesn’t mean...”

“You still love him, don’t you?” Jason demanded.

“You’ve known that from the beginning,” Nico said desperately. “But I swear, you’re not a substitute.”

“Thanks,” Jason said. “But I’m not sure I can do this anymore.”

Nico was quiet for a long while. “So this is it then?”

“I guess it is,” Jason said. “I’m sorry.”

“Jason...” Nico tried, but Jason hung up and turned off his phone, then buried his face in his hands and cried.

***

The next few weeks were some of the most miserable Jason had ever experienced. He missed Nico so much it hurt, missed kissing him and holding him and just talking to him. They had been friends before all this, and Jason hoped they could be friends again someday soon, but right now it hurt too much to even think about him.

Even Leo had picked up on the hints and left Jason alone for the most part. Piper was harder to shake off, but he didn’t tell her more than that he and Nico had broken up, and that it had been his decision. Given that he had been the one to make the call, he didn’t really have the right to be as miserable as he was.

About two weeks after the breakup, there was a knock on the door. Jason ignored it, seeing how Leo was already on his way to open it.

“Yeah, he’s here,” he heard Leo say, and Jason turned around to see Hazel approaching, looking stern and just a tiny bit terrifying.

“My brother told me what happened,” she said. “And you’re coming with me now!”

“Look, I know you’re trying to help, but...” Jason begun, but Hazel just glared at him.

“If my brother means anything to you at all, you should come with me and at least talk to him,” she said. 

“Just go with her, man,” Leo said. “I can’t take another day of your moping. Go fix it!”

“But...” Jason said looking between Hazel's angry glare and Leo's more sympathetic face, then got up. “Fine,” he gave in. It was probably a bad idea but just seeing Nico sounded too tempting, even though he dreaded it at the same time.

“Did Nico give you the whole story?” Jason asked as he followed Hazel out of the building.

Hazel nodded. “He did,” she said. “Breaking up over the phone was a really douchey thing to do.”

“I know,” Jason said, honestly ashamed. “Did he tell you why?”

“He’s not responsible for his dreams, you know. He doesn’t even remember dreaming about Percy,” Hazel said, then sighed. “But it’s not like I don’t understand where you’re coming from. Just talk to him, okay? Maybe you figure things out.”

“I can’t be the consolation prize,” Jason said, and she smiled sadly towards him.

“He never saw you that way, I can promise you that,” Hazel said. “When you were together… Well, I haven’t seen him that happy in years, but now he’s...”

She trailed off, but the message was clear. Jason felt like an asshole. Somehow he hadn’t considered that the breakup might make Nico as miserable as it had made him. He hadn't thought he meant that much to the boy, but maybe he was wrong. 

Hazel led them straight to her and Nico’s apartment. Jason became more nervous with every step. What had he been thinking, agreeing to come with her? There was no way Nico would want to talk to him, except maybe to shout. Then again, Jason kinda owed him the chance to do that.

“Nico!” Hazel called as they entered. A moment later the door to Nico’s room opened, and Jason’s breath hitched. 

“What is it?” Nico asked. He was wearing the same t-shirt and black jeans as always, but the rings under his eyes had never been darker, nor his skin paler. He looked like he hadn't slept for days. What little color he had left in his face disappeared as he saw Jason. Suddenly he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Talk!” Hazel ordered them sternly. “I’ll be back in an hour.” She disappeared back out the door, leaving them alone, looking at each other in silence.

“Um, hey,” Jason said awkwardly.

“Hey,” Nico answered carefully, then said nothing more.

“How have you been?” Jason tried, which was a stupid question really. He could see himself that Nico was not doing well.

“I’ll live,” Nico said flatly. “Why are you here?”

“Hazel convinced me we needed to talk,” Jason said honestly. 

“What’s there left to say?” Nico asked. “You told me it was over, and you told me why. What’s left?”

“I miss you,” Jason blurted out, and Nico stared at him.

“No,” he said dangerously. “That’s not fair. You can’t just break up with me and then tell me you miss me. You have no right!”

“I know. I can’t help it,” Jason said. “Do you think we could have a shot at being friends again?”

“I can’t,” Nico said, his voice shaking. “You want be friends, to keep my feelings to myself as you move on and find someone new? I can’t do that again. I just _can’t!_ ”

“I’m not Percy,” Jason said, and Nico gave a hollow laugh.

“I know. Believe me, I know,” he said. “Through some miracle I actually had a shot with you, and I blew it.”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Jason said, but Nico shook his head.

“No, it was my fault,” he said. “I should have done something. I should have been clearer with you. I should have made sure you knew where you stood with me.”

“You did, didn’t you?” Jason asked. “You warned me from the beginning...”

“Jason,” Nico interrupted desperately, looking like he was going to cry. “I’m trying to say that I’m in love with you.”

Jason blinked. “But...” he tried. “Percy...”

“I still have feelings for him, I think I always will,” Nico said, attempting a smile despite the tears in his eyes. “But you’re the one I want, and I messed up. I was scared, and I messed up. I’m sorry.”

“You were dreaming about him,” Jason pointed out.

“I can’t defend myself against that, I don’t even remember it,” Nico choked, and the tears started falling down his face. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Jason couldn’t help himself. He walked over to Nico and put his arms around him, holding him close. He had missed this so much, had missed _Nico_ so much, and having him in his arms again felt good, despite the situation.

“Let go of me, I can’t...” Nico said weakly, then just slumped against Jason, crying into his shoulder. They sank down to sit on the floor, and Jason comforted Nico as best he could, holding him close and reassuringly stroking his hair, even though his mind was reeling with what Nico had just confessed. Nico loved him? What was he supposed to make of that now? _Could_ he still make something of it? Or was it too late?

“Please don’t go,” Nico whispered against Jason’s shoulder, and that was all he needed to make a decision.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Jason promised. “I still love you.”

Nico went still against him for a second, then withdrew enough to be able to look at him. “Really?” he asked, sounding terrified. 

“Really,” Jason confirmed, smiling down at him. “I’m willing to try again if you are.”

“I can’t promise I won’t have dreams about him again,” Nico said uncertainly.

“But I can promise that the next time you do, I’ll wake you up and we can talk about it,” Jason said. “I’m still going to be jealous, though.”

“You don’t have to be,” Nico smiled shyly. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jason said, leaning in for their first kiss in weeks. It was desperate and void of any technique, like they were trying to devour each other.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jason said as they parted for breath. “I don't want to let go of you. I want you.”

“Hazel is coming back in half an hour,” Nico said, gasping a bit as Jason sucked his neck. “And I...Um, I don’t think it’s a good idea to rush things again.”

Considering what happened last time, Jason could understand his reluctance. He stopped leaving hickeys on Nico’s neck and settled for just holding him close instead.

“Anything you want,” Jason said into Nico's hair. 

They had moved to the couch by the time Hazel came home. Nico was still in Jason's arms, leaning against him with his eyes closed, quite possibly asleep. Jason was about to doze off as well when Hazel entered the apartment. She smiled when she noticed them.

"I take it the talk went well," she said, and Jason nodded, smiling sheepishly.

"He loves me," he said happily, feeling the need to announce it out loud to someone.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "I'm aware," she said. "Don't make him cry again."

"I'll try not to," Jason said, which was when Nico started moving, blinking owlishly as he looked around.

"What are you two talking about?" he asked drowsily.

"You, of course," Jason said, giving him a gentle kiss on the eyelid.

"I was just about to say I'm glad that you two have made up," Hazel smiled. "And that you seem to be sleeping again. You should go to bed."

"Right," Nico said, yawning as he started untangling himself from Jason.

"Um, could I stay the night?" Jason asked. "Just sleeping, nothing else."

"Sure," Nico said, grinning happily towards him. "If Hazel's okay with it."

"Fine with me, as long as you let Nico sleep," she said sternly. "He needs to rest."

"Promise," Jason said.

Sometime later he lay in bed with Nico in his arms, holding him close, in all honestly unwilling to ever let him go again.

"Jason?" Nico mumbled into his chest.

"What is it?" Jason asked, smiling down at him. Nico blushed slightly.

"Thanks," he said. "You know, for giving me a second chance."

"It should be me telling you that," Jason said. "I should have given you a chance to explain. This whole thing could have been avoided that way. "

"Maybe," Nico said quietly. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too," Jason said, leaning down to give him a slow, lazy kiss.

"That's it?" Nico asked as Jason pulled back.

"Your sister will get mad at me if I don't let you sleep," Jason chuckled. "We have time for this tomorrow."

"I don't. I have a day full of lectures and seminars," Nico muttered. "And essays."

"We'll find time," Jason assured him. "Let's just go to sleep for now."

"Fine," Nico sighed, settling down beside him and closing his eyes. It didn't take more than a few minutes for him to fall asleep, and Jason smiled as he pulled him a little closer before relaxing and closing his own eyes.

They were going to be okay.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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